President Trump alleged during a Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday that children are being indoctrinated to “hate their own country” in schools.
“Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children,” Trump said to the crowd while discussing protests nationwide against police brutality and racism. Trump more specifically called out those tearing down statues of Confederate leaders and other figures who have faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks.
“The violent mayhem we have seen in our streets and cities that are run by liberal Democrats in every case is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism and other cultural institutions,” he said. “Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country and to believe that the men and women who built it weren’t heroes but villains. The radical view of American history is a web of lies.”
The comment was made amid a speech that focused largely on a condemnation of protesters removing statues and honoring the Founding Fathers, notably those on Mount Rushmore.
Protests have gone on daily for the last month following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed in police custody after an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. His death and other incidents of police brutality that have drawn viral attention have sparked calls for reform. Some protesters have also begun taking down statues of Confederate figures or leaders who supported slavery or racist policies.